On Monday afternoon, Philadelphia’s Broad Street saw tens of thousands of Bernie Sanders supporters and other demonstrators march down it. The march comes just ahead of the opening of the Democratic convention. The Sanders supporters are chanting “Nominate Sanders or lose in November!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the DNC has got to go!” The crowd stands at tens of thousands and the temps went up, so did the numbers of demonstrators.

Police officers are posted around downtown Philadelphia as protestors arrive for a hot day of marches and rallies leading up to the Democratic National Convention. Several demonstrations are planned for the day, including an anti-fracking march and a march of Bernie Sanders supporters. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s. The city will provide free water and misting stations.

Philadelphia Sixers vs Miami Heat – 1st Qtr Highlights Game 3 April 19, 2018 NBA Playoffs

Philadelphia Sixers vs Miami Heat – 1st Qtr Highlights Game 4 April 21, 2018 NBA Playoffs

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade attempted an 18-footer and then sank to one knee, trying to coax the ball in the basket with body English.

No good.

The Miami Heat had trouble getting the ball to fall and were on the verge of a dismal defeat Sunday, but rallied from a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia 103-98.

The short-handed Sixers, who have the NBA’s worst record (8-55), endured their 12th consecutive loss. Hassan Whiteside had seven blocked shots, including a pivotal one late to help the Heat win their fifth game in a row.

“Everything we go through right now is good for us as we try to put ourselves in a position for the playoffs,” Wade said. “This was a different kind of situation. We were down against a team we’re supposed to beat, and how are we going to find a way to win the game?”

Wade shot 5 for 15 but still managed 23 points, while Goran Dragic had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Whiteside shot 4 for 11 but had 14 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

Ish Smith scored 21 points and Carl Landry added 18 for the Sixers, but they were outscored 30-19 in the final 9 1/2 minutes.

“It’s kind of been the story of the year,” Smith said. “We just have to close down these close games.”

The Heat missed 10 consecutive shots in the second half and went nearly 8 minutes without a basket as the 76ers took a 72-69 lead, and the margin reached 79-73 before Miami rallied.

A frantic sequence that began with a block by Whiteside turned the game for the Heat. Dragic came up with the rebound to start a fast break that ended with a running dunk by Wade, before he and Dragic both went sprawling happily to the floor.

“It was bodies flying around,” Dragic said. “Great play by D-Wade. He’s still got the hops.”

The crowd erupted, and Whiteside hollered too.

“That’s kind of what I do — block shots and get the crowd going,” Whiteside said. “D-Wade goes dunk, and I cheer for D-Wade.”

The score put the Heat up 91-87 with 3:21 left, and the Sixers trailed the rest of the way.

“The only difference between good teams and bad teams,” Landry said, “is how to close out quarters.”

The Heat beat Philadelphia for the second time in three nights for their longest regular-season winning streak since an eight-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 3, 2014.

“We played two games in a row against Philly, and that’s how it’s going to be in the playoffs,” Dragic said. “You’re going to know the opponent really well. They took some things away from us and we had to adjust. We did pretty OK.”

The Heat (37-26) climbed a season-high 11 games over .500 and matched last season’s win total with 19 games remaining. They improved to 8-2 since losing Chris Bosh to a blood clot in his calf.

Smith’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first half put the 76ers ahead 49-47, but they fell to 5-14 when leading at halftime. Philadelphia dropped to 3-30 on the road.

INJURY LIST

Philadelphia was again without Jahlil Okafor (bruised shin), Nerlens Noel (bruised knee) and Nik Stauskas (illness). All are expected to return soon.

WINNING ADDITION

The Heat are 5-0 since signing Joe Johnson after the seven-time All-Star agreed to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson had 14 points and five rebounds.

“He’s undefeated,” Dragic said.

The 38-14 Miami Heat will travel to play the 22-30 Philadelphia 76ers in an NBA pro basketball game on Saturday night. Tip off time from Philadelphia is scheduled for 7:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.

The NBA odds from this game have the road team Miami Heat favored by -7 points with an over under line of 185 points. There has been no line movement since the odds came out a few hours ago.

The teams met four times last season with Miami winning all four games. The Heat covered three of the four games.

The Heat is 15-11 on the road this season. Miami wins their ninth straight game following an 86-67 road win to the Chicago Bulls as a -3 ½ point betting favorite. The total landed under 186 points. Miami held the Bulls to just 32 second half points. The team shot 50.7% from the floor along with 3 of 13 from three. They held the Bulls to just 37.3% shooting and forced 27 Chicago turnovers. LeBron James scored 6 points and 12 rebounds on 11 of 15 shooting. The Heat offensively rank in the top five in the league in the three important categories of points per game along with field goal and three point shooting. They are the best shooting team in the league hitting on 49.3% from the field.

Philadelphia is 16-13 straight up on their home court during the 2012-13 campaign. The 76ers will host Miami with a three game losing streak. They come off the All Star break with a 94-87 road defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday as a +3 ½ point underdog. The total landed under 186 points. The 76ers got in the hole by falling behind 56-41 at the half to the injury riddled Timberwolves. They shot just 38.3% from the floor and made 4 of 13 from three. Philadelphia was their own worst enemy by missing 11 of 32 free throws. The 76ers gave up just 40% shooting to Minnesota. Evan Turner had 17 points and 6 rebounds on 6 of 16 from the field. The 76ers for a long time have struggled on the offensive side of the basketball. They are in the lower third of the NBA in most of the key offensive categories. Philadelphia is 29th and second to last in the league in scoring offense by averaging just 92.2 points per game.

The 39-23 Indiana Pacers will travel to South Beach to face the 46-14 Miami Heat in an NBA pro basketball game on Sunday night. Tip off time from Miami is scheduled for 6PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by NBA TV.

The NBA odds rom this contest has the home team Miami Heat favored by -7 points with an over under line of 190 points. There has been no line movement since the odds were released from the NBA a few hours ago.

The teams met twice this season with Indiana winning and covering the point spread in each game. Both games were played at Indiana.

The Pacers have a road mark of 14-16 on the year. They win for the eighth time in ten games after a 115-86 road victory on Friday night at the Orlando Magic as a -9 point betting favorite. The game finished over 189 points. Indiana posted the 53-38 lead at the half in victory. The Pacers shot 51.8% from the floor and converted on 11 of 19 three pointers. They held the Magic to 39% shooting and grabbed seven more rebounds than Orlando. Indiana forced 21 Magic turnovers. Paul George led the Pacers with 25 points and five rebounds on 8 of 12 makes from the field. Indiana is a top two defense this season in all three important areas which are points allowed per game along with field goal and three point defense. Opponents score just 89.5 points a game against Indiana.

Miami is 28-3 straight up on their home court. The Heat wins their 17th straight game following a 102-93 home win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night as a -13 point betting favorite. The game finished right at the closing line of 195 points. The Heat shot 53.2% from the floor and converted on 8 of 21 from three point distance. They pulled down six more rebounds than the 76ers and allowed Philadelphia 48.1% shooting. LeBron James had 25 points and ten rebounds on 10 of 17 shooting. The Miami offense rolls at home as the team averages 107.7 points per game along with 51% shooting. The make nearly 41% of their three pointers on their home court.

The 19-38 Sacramento Kings will travel to play the 40-14 Miami Heat in an NBA pro basketball game on Tuesday night. Tip off time from Miami is scheduled for 7:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by NBA League Pass Channel.

The odds from this NBA pro basketball game has the home team Miami Heat favored by -15 ½ points with an over under line of 210 ½ points. There has been no line movement since the odds came out a few hours ago.

The teams met back on January 12th with the Heat blowing out Sacramento 128-99 as a -7 ½ point road favorite. The game landed over 203 ½ points.

Sacramento has a road record of 5-25. The Kings have lost five straight games. They come off the 110-95 road defeat on Sunday to the New Orleans Hornets as a +7 point underdog. The game landed over 204 ½ points. The Kings shot 42.2% from the floor in the loss along with 12 of 19 from three. They allowed the Hornets 50.6% shooting and had eight less rebounds than New Orleans. John Salmons had 18 points along with three assists in the loss. The Kings rank as one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. They are 30th and last in points allowed and 29th and second to last in defensive field goal percentage. Sacramento allows 104.3 points a game along with 46.9% shooting to opponents.

The Heat is 24-3 on their home court. They nearly blow a huge lead in a 109-105 home win on Sunday to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a -12 ½ point betting favorite. It was the teams 11th straight win. It was Miami’s fourth game in five nights and was forced to travel home off a win on Sunday night at Philadelphia. The Heat shot 52% from the floor and made 12 of 19 from three. Miami blew a 22 point lead and fell behind after three quarters. They allowed 50% shooting to the Cavaliers. LeBron James had 28 points and 8 assists on 10 of 19 shooting. The Heat average 107.4 points a game, 51.1% shooting and 41.3% from the three point line at home this season.

The Miami Heat will travel on a back to back to face a rested Philadelphia 76ers team in an NBA pro basketball game set for Wednesday night.

Tip time from Philadelphia is set for 7PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.

The odds from this NBA game have the road side Miami Heat favored by –11 points with a total lined at 195 points.

The teams met four times last season with Miami winning all four games. Each team covered once at home and on the road.

Miami is 1-0 on the new season following a 107-95 home victory on Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls as a -5 point betting favorite. The game total landed over 188 ½ points. The Heat was able to hold a 54-33 first half lead.

The team shot 51.4% from the floor and nailed 11 of 20 three pointers. LeBron James led the Heat with 17 points and eight assists Chris Bosh contributed with 16 points and six boards. Miami with great shooting survived 20 turnovers.

Philadelphia finished off the 2012-13 season with a record of 34-48 and missed the playoffs as they finished four games behind the eighth seeded Milwaukee Bucks. Former head coach Doug Collins resigned after a frustrating tenure with the team. There are four rookies on the 76ers roster. Noel Nerlens a center out of Kentucky was drafted by 76ers. Philadelphia is a very young team with 11 players with three years or less experience in the league.

The 23-37 Philadelphia 76ers will travel to play the 45-14 Miami Heat in an NBA pro basketball game on Friday night. Tip off time from Miami is scheduled for 8PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.

The NBA odds from this game have the home team Miami Heat favored by -14 points with an over under line of 195 points. There has been no line movement in the NBA game since the odds came out a few hours ago.

The teams met back on February 23rd with the Heat posting the 114-90 road win at the 76ers as a -8 ½ point favorite. The game finished over 185 points.

Philadelphia has a road record of 6-21 on the season. They lose their third straight and tenth in eleven games following a 107-96 road defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday as a +8 ½ point underdog. The game went over 190 points. The 76ers fell behind by 21 after three quarters of play. The team shot 43% from the floor and made 6 of 17 from three. They had ten more rebounds than the Hawks and lose because Philadelphia allowed Atlanta 53.8% shooting. Dorell Wright came off the bench for 20 points and 9 rebounds. The 76ers woes this season has come on the offensive end. They continue to have problems scoring as the team ranks 29th and second to last in the NBA by pushing across just 92.2 points a game.

The Heat is 27-3 straight up on their home court. Miami makes it 16 straight victories following a 97-96 home win against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday as a -15 ½ point betting favorite. The game went under the total of 204 points. Miami nearly blows a 20 point lead. They shoot just 43.2% from the field along with 6 of 28 from three. Wade and LeBron James carried the team to victory as they combine for 50 points on 17 of 30 shooting. The supporting cast was a no show on offense making just 15 of 44 shots. They hold the Magic to 44.9% from the floor and forced 18 Orlando turnovers. When motivated the Heat put up some impressive numbers on their home court. They average 107.9 points and 50.9% shooting in their 30 games at home.